IBF light welterweight champion Subriel Matias should have a bigger name today as he defends his title against Liam Paro this month on June 15 on DAZN at the Coliseo Juan Aubín Cruz Abreu in Manatí, Puerto Rico.
A Star in the Making?
Paulie Malignaggi believes that Matias (20-1, 20 KOs) was mistreated and under-promoted during his nine-year career, which made him not as popular as other light welterweights, such as Devin Haney, Teofimo Lopez and Isaac Cruz.
Since Matias is unknown, the top players are not willing to fight him, and he is dangerous, which is another reason why he was avoided.
With Matias' strength and pressure-fighting style, he is not high on the list of the best 140-pound fighters looking to fight him. His last battle against him Shohjahon Ergashev was a perfect example of why the top names didn't want to fight him.
Matias was fighting a pure knockout artist with plenty of talent in Ergashev, and he wore down the undefeated fighter and stopped him in six rounds. That fight sent a message to the light welterweights that Matias is dangerous.
The Danger Factor
“That's Matias. He's kind of the enigma of the 140-lb division. The fact that he is from Puerto Rican and he punches like this should make him a bigger star than this,” said Paulie Malignaggi speaking to Probox TV about IBF light welterweight champion Subriel Matias.
“I think he was promoted badly. Usually, when Puerto Rican fighters like this guy come along and have the qualities that this guy has, usually, they're very popular. So, I think he's been a little bit mistreated and promoted.”
It's amazing that Matias has been in the division for nine years, but he's not as well known as newcomers Haney, Pitbull Cruz, Teofimo, and Ryan Garcia.
“As dangerous as he is, he could be the best guy at 140 lbs, possibly. So that's the question. Is it him, or not? We want to see him go up against the big names.
“These days, they are not very quick to fight, but Matias is attracting attention, but for die-hard fans, he is good enough and is a worthy nation to attract the attention of all boxers and even ordinary players,” said Malignaggi.
The champions in 140 choose who they fight with, they choose soft players who they believe have a good chance of winning. The WBO champion hasn't fought anyone good yet, and it's such a waste.
A Wing Rich in Talent
“I think it's because it's a class rich in talent. You have big name guys who have been there,” said boxing expert Chris Algieri about why fans don't know Matias better. “He has Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez. You have Isaac 'Pitbull' Cruz, who recently reached 140 and took the world title, defeating Rolando 'Rolly' Romero. Rolly is a big name too. “
None of those heroes have expressed interest in fighting Matias, which is why he defends Liam Paro. He can't get big names to fight him, so he has to settle for facing the best guys.
Matias' last opponent, Egashev, will have a very good chance of beating any of the other three belt holders, but they won't fight him, obviously. He is very dangerous as Matias.
“So there are a lot of names, but I think Subriel Matias will fit in well with any of these guys,” Algieri said. “He has to shoot, but one of the things that was difficult to find because, one is dangerous, and two is not well known.
“So, you're taking a big risk, But you have a title and titles are powerful. They have the power to negotiate and they have reasons for guys to want to fight you now,” said Algieri.
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